Though we were there before 8.30 in the morning we still had to wait an hour at Tabor Terminal, with hundreds of other pilgrims fingering olive wood souvenirs, scarves and tapestry bags woven by the Druze, and consuming choc-coated Magnums. 
The road up Mt Tabor is narrow and contains many hairpin bends so we must be ferried up in taxis to the (supposed) place where Jesus met Moses and Elijah and was briefly transfigured with radiance. The place where, with Peter, James and John, he went to find some peace and quiet in which to pray.
Surprisingly, once up there, there is still a sense of peace.
Yesterday’s thunderstorms were still around, and we drove through heavy rain on the way to the ruins of the Roman city of Sepphorus near Nazareth. The highlight of our visit here was a magnificent mosaic floor in the hilltop house of a wealthy citizen.
Isn’t she beautiful? They call her “The Mona Lisa of Galilee”.
Lunch today was felafel and salad in pocket bread (hot chips on the side!) eaten in an Arab cafe in Cana - with Coke instead of the wine enjoyed by the guests at the wedding in this village where Jesus performed his first miracle.
Nazareth is a fairly sleepy place on a Sunday afternoon and here we visited the Catholic Church of the Annunciation and saw for ourselves the provocative banner strung up in the square in the centre of town, just below the church. (Look back at my earlier post with a video clip of John Dickson and Greg Clarke speaking from here).
No comments:
Post a Comment